Electric cord terminal



I March 13,1945. G BENANDER 1 2,371,494 I ELECTRIC CORD TERMINAL Filed July 17, 1941 wit Inventor: George B. Benancler,

- by JV aim/m IS Att orney.

Patented Mar. 13, 1945 OFFICE ELECTRIC coim TERMINAL George B. Benander; Oaklawn, R. L, assignmto The Monowatt Electri ration of Connecticut 0 Corporation, a corpo- Appl ication July 17,.1941, Serial No. 402,755 6 Claims. (01. 173-334) The present invention relates to electric cord terminals and especially to electric cord terminals such as are used in wiring devices and has for its object to provide an improved construction and arrangement for attaching the wire to the terminal structure which is lower in cost than arrangements heretofore used but thoroughly satisfactpry.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following specification and the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a, side view of a service block having terminals embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the service block with one-half of the housing removed; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of two members which form the cord terminal as they appear prior to the cord being attached thereto; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the members of Fig. 4 assembled on the cord; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 6'6, Fig. 5, and Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing my invention as applied to a terminal for a plug connector.

Referring to the drawing, Figs. 1 to 6, I indicates the housing of a service block. It is made from suitable molding compound and comprises two halves held together by a bolt 2. In the housing are cavities in which are located terminals or contact structures 3 having contact arms 4 which stand in line with openings 5 in the Walls of the housing which are adapted to receive the terminals or uprights of a plug connector. The service block has three. faces, each provided with a pair of openings 5 whereby three plug connectors may be connected to the block. In one face of the block is an opening 6 through which the end of an electric cord 1 extends, the two conductors of the cord being connected to the terminals.

The structure so far described is that of a known type of service block.

Each terminal or contact structure comprises 45 which means an extra part, or an integral rivet at the same time which means that the member from which the rivet is .struck up must be of thicker material than the other member and than would be otherwise required. (For example, .030" material instead of .015" material.)

By my invention, I avoid the use of a rivet, and

any riveting, soldering or spot welding operations,

thereby effecting a saving in both material and labor.

According to my invention, I- connect the two members together by means of spaced ears or tangs which are struck up from one of the members and bent down over theother member, the conductor of the cord being clamped between the two members; and preferably also I provide one member with an opening in line with the conductor and the other member with a small bump o1- protuberance which stands in line' with the opening and forces the conductor to projectsomewhat into the opening whereby the conductor is gripped by the edge of the opening.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4, the member? is formed with a central seat portion 10 having an opening N therein and the member 8 is formed with spaced struck up integral end ears or tangs l2 and intermediate ears or tangs l3. In assembling the structure, the member 8 is placed in a holding fixture in a suitable press with the ears or tangs l2 and I3 projecting upwardly after which the bared end of theconductor is placed across seat portion 10 between ears or tangs l2. Next, the member 8 is mounted on member 8 with its seat portion I0 located between ears or tangs I2 and i3 and on the bared end of the conductor. The press is then' closed to force the ears or tangs l2 and I3 down on member 9 as shown in Fig. 5. At the same time, the press forces a portion of member 8 opposite opening |I into the opening as shown in Fig. 6 forming a small bump or protuberance I4 which projects into opening I I, thus firmly gripping the wire. The press operation is a simple one, readily performed on a foot press.

' My invention is especially well adapted for use with-a stranded wire conductor as this spreads.

readily and flattens, opening il I. Y I

In Figsg'l'and 8, liindicates an upright or terand is readily forced into mine] for a plug connector. It is formed from a strip of suitable metal bent back on itself to form two members, an outer member l1 and an inner member 18. The outer member is formed with two spaced ears or tangs l9 which initially stand Figs. l'to 6. Here again,

, molding material, such at about'right angles to the plane of the member as shown in Fig. 7, and with an opening 20. The inner member terminates just short of the ears or tangs l9. In assembling the structure, the upright or terminal is placed in a holding fixture in a suitable press with ears or tangs l9 facing upwardly after which the bared end of the conductor is placed on the upper face of member ll between the ears or tangs. The press is then closed to bring members I8 and I1 together firmly on the conductor and to bend over the ears or tangs l9 down onto the upper surface of member I8 as shown in Fig. 8. At the same time a small bump or protuberance 2| is formed on member I 8 opposite opening 20 to force the conductor somewhat into opening 20 for the reasons already explained in connection with the description of the operation can be performed in a simple foot press and in this instance has the advantage that the two uprights or terminals 16 can be mounted side by side in a press and have both conductors of a two-conductor cord attached at the same time.

The upright or terminal shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is well adapted for use in the construction of a plug cap such as that shown in my Patent No. 2,206,714, patented July 2, 1940, assigned to the same assignee as the'present application, wherein two uprights with the conductors attached thereto are mounted in spaced relation to each other in a premolded casing after which uncured as uncured rubber, is forced into the casing between the inner ends of the uprights to embed the same after which it is cured. When so used, the projecting end 22 serves to locate the upright in the casing and the projections 23' are embedded in the rubber to assist in anchoring the uprights.

It will be noted that ears or tangs 12 in Figs. 1 to 6 and ears or tangs la in Figs. 7 and 8 project from an end edge of the strip and lie within the confines of the side edges of the strip, as do also ears or tangs l3 in Figs. 1 to 6. This has the advantage of being economical of material, reducing waste to a minimum and at the same time, since the ears are spaced apart, permits the bared conductor end to extend between the ears, an advantageous arrangement from both the standpoint of the initial assembling in the terminal structure and the assembling of the terminal structure in a wiring device.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

v 1. Awiring device of the character described comprising a casing of insulating material formed in two parts and having walls which define a plurality of terminal receiving cavities and a plurality of faces having openings for plug prongs, and terminals in said cavities each comprising a narrow fiat strip of conducting material having at one end two pairs of spaced tangs formed from material of the strip and lying wholly within the confines of its side edges, the

- other end forming a contact, a second narrow fiat strip having a portion which overlies the first strip between said pairs of tangs at least one end of said second strip forming a contact, and an electrical conductor having a bared end positioned between the overlying portions of said strips, said tangs being staked down to hold the two strips together and firmly fasten the conductor end between them.

2. In a wiring device of the character described, a terminal comprising a narrow fiat strip of conducting material having at one end two pairs of spaced tangs formed from materialof the strip and lying wholly within the confines of its side edges, the other end forming a contact, a second narrow fiat strip having a portion which overlies the first strip between said pairs of tangs at least one end of said second strip forming a contact, and an electrical conductor having a bared end positioned between the overlying portions of said strips, said tangs being staked down to hold the two strips together and firmly fasten the conductor end between them.

3. In a wiring device or the character described, a terminal comprising a narrow fiat stripof conducting material'having two spaced tangs extending from one end edge and located within the confines of the side edges of the strip, the other end of the strip forming a contact, a second fiat strip which extends transversely of said first strip with its central portion resting on the end of the other strip adjacent to said tangs, the two ends of said second strip forming contacts, and an electrical conductor having an end positioned between said strips, said tangs being staked down to hold the two strips together and firmly fasten the conductor end between them.

4. In a wiring device of the character described, a terminal comprising a transversely extending member formed from strip material the ends of which provide contact arms and the central portion of which forms a seat, a second member formed from strip material one end of which provides a contact and the other end of which is positioned on said seat, an electrical conductor having a bared end positioned between said seats, and tangs formed integral with one of said members staked down on the other member to hold the two members together and firm- 1y fasten the conductor end between them.

5. In a wiring device of the character described, a terminal comprising a narrow fiat strip member of conducting material having spaced tangs extending from one end edge and located within the confines of the side edges of thestrip member, a second fiat strip member having a portion resting on the end of the other strip member adjacent to said tangs, the other ends of said strip members forming contact means, and an electrical conductor having an end positioned between said strip members adjacent to said tangs and said tangs being staked down to hold the two strip members together and firmly fasten the conductor end between them.

6. A terminal for a. plug cap comprising a strip of conducting material reversely bent on itself to provide two members, one of which has projecting tangs formed integral with its free end edge which lie entirely within the confines of the side walls of the strip and are staked down over the free end of the other member to hold the two ends firmly in engagement, and a conductor which extends between said tangs with its end gripped between the ends of said members.

GEORGE B. BENANDER. 

